social influence Flashcards
what is milgram’s study of obedience?
Aim- to show how obedient we are towards an authority figure
Method- 40 males as ‘teacher’ gave confederates ‘learners’ shocks when incorrect. 15- 450 volts. teachers told to continue when asked
Results 100% went to 300 volts but only 65% went to 450 volts
conclusion- people will listen to an authority figure because of the situation orders are given in
what is the evaluation of Adorno’s theory of obedience?
- it is based on research from the F scale which has a response bias which results init being not valid
- there is no proof to show that an authoritarian personality actually causes high level of obedience, only personality type and obedience, cause and effect cant be proved
- l- the most obedient people in milgram’s study did not have an authoritarian personality / strict up bringing which a main factor in developing the personality
what is milgram’s agency theory?
when an individual acts on behalf of someone else they assume the person giving the orders is taking responsibility they become an agent for the authority figure (agentic state)
what is the evaluation of milgram’s study?
- only American males, cant be generalised
-replicated many times, same results, reliable - unethical, people were visibly affected, panicking, seizures, sweating
what social factors make people obey?
-agency
-culture
-proximity
-location
-uniform
what are reasons of why we conform?
-group size
-anonymity
-expertise
-personality
-task difficulty
what is conformity?
when a persons thinking and behaviour changes as a result of group pressure
what is a locus of control?
the sense we have about what directs events in our lives
what is an internal locus of control?
complete control over your life
what is an external locus of control?
when you believe you have no control over what will happen in your life
what is obedience?
when a person acts in response to a direct order from a figure of perceived authority
what is an autonomous state?
being aware of your consequences- taking voluntary control of ones behaviour
what is adornos theory?
that people obey because of their personality (dispositional factors)
what is an authoritarian personality?
a person who has a…
-exaggerated respect for authority
- ore likely to obey orders
look down on people with inferior social status
what is the evaluation of milgram’s agency theory?
-doesn’t fully explain why there wasn’t 100% obedience in him study a only 65% conformed, so people are more likely to enter an agentic shift than others so social factors cant fully explain obedience.
what is prosocial behaviour
actions that are beneficial to other people but not necessarily to the helper
what is the evaluation of piliavin subway study?
-natural study
- field study- little control over extraneous variables
-out dated
-cant be generalised
what is bystander behavior?
the presence of others decreases the likelihood of help being offered in an emergency
what is the cost of helping?
what would happen as a result of helping someone in need
what is social loafing?
when working as a group you put less effort in as you can’t identify an individual effort
what is deindividuation?
a state where you lose your personal identity and take on a group identity
what is piliavin’s study
Aim- to see if prosocial behaviour in a natural setting would change depending in the characteristics of the victim
Method-4 confederates on a new york subway. one played the ‘victim’ and stood in the middle of the carriage and collapsed until helped. out of 103 trips, 38 smelled of alcohol & carried it, 65 sober & had walking stick. 2nd and 3rd confederate observed, 4th helped if no one else did. 95% disabled %50 drunk
conclusion- characteristics do make a difference to help, if you are more deserving, you are more likely to get help
what is the evaluation of asch’s study?
-artificial task
-lab environment
-done along time ago (1950’s) conformist time, out dated
what is anti social behaviour?
behaviour which is harmful to other people eg aggressive, distressing to others
